Our Happy Ending
by Laura-Liz
Summary: Vegnagun has been destroyed; Yuna has settled in Besaid with Tidus, while Paine doesn't need anybody for company. But what about Rikku?


The Moonflow glittered beautifully in the midnight darkness, like it had always done, secluded from any town or city – this made it all the more magical. The people of Spira were glad that this was one thing that had not disappeared once Sin had been destroyed; many came from all over to watch the Moonflow glitter like a sea of dancing stars.

The Pyreflies drifted lazily above the water as Rikku stood by the edge, watching them, hypnotized by their alluring movements. She felt alone, for once; Yuna was going to marry Tidus, Paine was wandering by herself, and Rikku? Rikku was lonely, wishing for the old days when all three of them hunted spheres together. It seemed selfish, but Rikku wanted Yuna and Paine to be with her again; she thought that sphere hunting was exactly the thing to bring more adventure to their lives. Now all Yuna wanted to do was settle in Besaid, while Paine needed only herself to be content. The Al-Bhed let a stray tear slide down her cheek and fall heavily into the water. Pyreflies jerked vigorously upwards at the disturbance, before settling back into their usual swaying actions, unaware of the sadness that stood nearby.

"Hey, it's Cid's little girl!" A surprised voice behind her caused Rikku to hastily wipe away tears from her eyes and turn sharply to her intruder, though she already knew who it was. "What're you doing here at this time of night?"

She turned back towards the Moonflow after glancing at Gippal, and hugged herself tightly; something about his presence at this particular moment made her more defensive. "I could ask you the same thing," Rikku replied without turning back, her voice lacking the usual light-hearted tone.

"Couldn't sleep. I usually take a walk down here from Djose at night if I can't; the Moonflow always calms me." He walked slowly up to where she stood and positioned himself on her right. "What about you?"

"Oh, just…thinking."

"Really? You don't sound too sure," Gippal raised an eyebrow and folded his arms heavily.  
"You wouldn't understand. Shouldn't you be going back to Djose? You've probably got another busy day tomorrow," Rikku retorted, waving a dismissive hand.

To her slight annoyance, Gippal laughed, but then she couldn't help smiling ever-so-slightly herself. "On the defensive, are we? Now I know something's wrong."

"Since when did you become an expert in reading other people?" she asked sarcastically, turning to look at him. "You're only interested in machina; you always have been."

This comment caused Gippal to chuckle uneasily and place a hand on the back of his head from slight embarrassment. He should have expected that reply, or something similar; Rikku had never been afraid to speak her mind when she was annoyed. "Have I…done something to upset you?"

Sighing, defeated, Rikku gave half a shrug. "Not really. I'm just feeling a bit down." She turned back to the Moonflow and stared gloomily into the still waters.

Her abrupt stop and silence thereafter told Gippal she wasn't prepared to say anymore. Well, without coaxing anyway. "Aw, c'mon, you know you can tell me anything; we've been friends for ages!" Grinning to himself, Gippal gently placed a comforting hand on Rikku's shoulder. "Can you remember when we used to play explorers in Bikanel Desert? Everyone got so worried when they realised we were gone, and we used to evade any search parties they sent out."

Rikku giggled and faced Gippal - all woe forgotten if only for a moment – her face shining from the Pyreflies. "And when we got back to Home, everyone was so mad and told us we were never allowed out again!"

"But we snuck out, and we'd go wandering around finding secret places that we thought only we knew about."

"Like the Oasis," Rikku sighed dreamily. "We'd spend ages there, just paddling in the water."

Gippal laughed, ruffling Rikku's hair. "Yeah, otherwise you would've passed out from the heat." She made a jokingly annoyed tone and gave him a slight nudge in the ribs. He folded his arms once again, and his expression became thoughtful. He spoke slower: "And…when we got older, we used to talk about exploring Spira. It seemed like such an exciting concept; we had barely been outside Bikanel Island."

"I remember," Rikku smiled cheekily, placing a finger on her cheek as if deep in thought. "That you promised you were gonna bring me something back from somewhere far away in Spira," she said in a sing-song tone.

Gippal laughed and placed his hands on the back of his head, stretching as he did so. "I did? I was quite the romantic in my younger days."

There was a moment's silence before Rikku spoke up again: "I…really enjoyed growing up together."

Gippal turned to look at Rikku, and found her smiling at him. He grinned back, placing a hand on his hip. "Yeah, me too." He looked into her jade spiral eyes - almost hypnotic - like he had done when he was a child. He remembered every moment he spent with her, especially when they first met; his mother had introduced Rikku as 'Cid's little girl' when they were younger, and this had become Gippal's continued name for Rikku whenever he saw her. "Hey, close your eyes a moment."

"W-what?! Why?"

Gippal rolled his eye jokingly. "Do you always have to ask questions?" He stepped close in front of her, and Rikku could feel her heart beating against its cage, afraid it were audible. He used his left hand to lift her chin up and used the other to gently close her eyelids. "Just keep them closed for a minute, okay? Trust me."

Rikku did as she were told, shutting her eyes tight so her face scrunched a little. She then decided it were best if she put her hands over her eyes, to resist temptation more. Gippal's heavy footsteps through the grass could be heard to her right, and then rustling but still Rikku kept her eyes closed, refusing to remove her hands until she was told so. But still, she couldn't help but loudly say, "Is this a joke? Because you're in trouble if it is!"

She heard Gippal's joyous laughter echo slightly – he was closer than she had thought – and he replied jokingly, "I wouldn't dare; you scare me too much!" Soon after, she heard his footsteps coming back towards her and the warmth of his body nearby. "Hold out your hands." Rikku complied slowly, placing her hands infront of her in a cupped position, still keeping her eyes closed. She felt something brush against her fingertips, something soft and silky, and felt its weightless presence in her palms. "Open your eyes." The whispered voice had come from beside her ear, and she jumped a little at how close Gippal had become.

Slowly opening her eyes, Rikku looked down into her palms and saw a flower sitting in the middle, boasting beauty. More specifically, it was a Moonlily that attracted the Pyreflies on the Moonflow. It's petals were opened like a musical horn, and at the edges it's colour deepened crisply into a rich lavender while the rest of the flower beamed white hinted slightly with a purplish hue. The aroma was husky with a trace of sweetness, perfuming the air around Rikku, and she closed her eyes waveringly as she breathed in the scent.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rikku's eyes jerked open at Gippal's voice, and she blushed slightly. "Oh, yeah; it is," she sighed, looking to the flower still in her outstretched hands. It gleamed from the light of the Pyreflies, as if it were one itself. "But why did you give me this? Surely I could've got one myself."

Gippal slouched next to her, beaten, and expired deeply and loudly. "You had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" He stood infront of Rikku – ignoring her surprised comment on it being a 'moment' – and clasped his hands around hers. He made her hold the flower gingerly and gazed deep into her eyes. "It's the present I promised, years ago, from a far away place. And," he continued, ignoring Rikku's quizzical expression, "it's the second most beautiful living being in Spira."

Rikku tilted her head to one side, peering at him from under her hair and blue headband. "What happened to the first?" she asked derisively.

Gippal flashed a grin, his eye shined in the midnight, her hands still in his. "I'm looking at her." Rikku blushed a terrible crimson which the Pyreflies illuminated magnificently. Everything seemed to glow here, but Rikku felt she was more noticeable at this moment.

Gippal leaned his head towards Rikku, but before their lips could meet, she whispered amusingly, "Y'know, that was kinda cheesy."

He laughed and whispered back, "You can't blame a guy for trying." He leaned in once again for what he had always wanted, what he always needed; they kissed deeply and passionately, still protecting the Moonlily, lips fastened tightly to the other's as Pyreflies seemed to dance around them. All of Rikku's fears had been swept away with the gentle wind. She breathed in Gippal's essence which, not surprisingly, smelt of machinery mingled with the strong smell of the lily.

When they broke apart, they stood smiling at each other, not wanting to look away, their hands still clasped around the Moonlily. Gippal moved first; he carefully pried the flower from Rikku's unresisting hands and positioned it within her waves of golden hair, secured by her headband. After which, Gippal moved the back of his fingers down each side of her face; from her headband, to her hair, to the soft skin of her cheeks. "Bmayca, tuh'd fymg uid uv so meva ykyeh, Rikku," he sighed, caressing her cheeks with his fingertips. When he looked up at her, Rikku could see a look of longing and desire in his eye. "E muja oui."

She didn't need to hear anymore; Rikku jumped into his arms and he twirled her around, arms wrapped around her waist. She buried her head into his shoulder, her arms around his neck, taking in his comforting aroma once again. Rikku's long scarf flew behind, like a burning trail in the darkness.

When Gippal set her down, they were still in a close embrace; Rikku's head lay on his chest while her arms crept up his back, running her fingers through sun-kissed hair with ease. His arms had snaked around her body, holding her as near as possible, wanting to stay like this. Lifting her head to look at him, Rikku found herself nose-to-nose with Gippal, grinning from ear-to-ear as she was. "I'm not going anywhere; I love you too."

They sat, cuddling and talking, by the edge of the Moonflow until the first signs of day started to break the night sky in a magnificent orange explosion. The Pyreflies' glow seemed to dim from this light source, but still they danced from each Moonlily with awing delicacy. Rikku snuggled closer to Gippal, her head lay on his chest underneath his chin, breathing deeply.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you," Gippal, looked down at the Al-Bhed girl. "Is there something wrong?" There was a strange tone in his voice, as if he wanted to change everything bad that had happened in her past, starting with her defensive attitude the previous night.

Rikku smirked, playing with the belts on Gippal's outfit. "No," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Nothing's wrong now."


End file.
